They stole the part that puts the water on the fire.
Kyoto.
Nantan.
By the end of July, 32 hydrant boxes in one town were missing their nozzles.
Some boxes also lost the standpipe you need to hook a hose to the street.
The boxes were unlocked on purpose.
Because a fire does not wait for a key.
Because this country still builds public safety on the idea that nobody would touch that box.
Brass.
Aluminum.
Scrap price.
The fire chief called it a dangerous crime.
He is not being poetic.
If a house starts burning and the nozzle is already gone, the delay is not a news item.
It is the next house.
Japan keeps discovering that the equipment meant to save a street is worth more as metal than as a neighbor’s promise.
Japan… I can’t stop crying… 😭🔥⛩️
We’re only eight months into 2026.
And already,
19 temples and shrines in Japan have been lost to fires.
One of them, Seianji Temple, is said to have been founded in 931 and had nearly 1,100 years of history.
It was a place of prayer that local people had protected for generations.
And then,
it was lost in just a few hours.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
Was it arson, or was it an accident?
I want the cause of this fire to be thoroughly investigated.
Even so,
it feels like fires at historic shrines and temples are happening far too often this year.
Buildings and cultural heritage that have been passed down for hundreds, even thousands of years can never be brought back in exactly the same form once they are lost.
Once again,
it feels like another small piece of Japanese history has disappeared into the flames.
And that makes me incredibly sad. 🇯🇵😭